New OCLC Research report examines collaborative efforts in RDM

I am very excited that our latest report on library collaboration, Building Research Data Management Capacity: Case Studies in Strategic Library Collaboration, has just been published. The report features detailed descriptions of three successful collaborative efforts in research data management (RDM) – the Texas Data Repository, the Portage Network, and the Data Curation Network – along with a set of recommendations to inform future library collaborations in RDM and beyond.

The case studies in the report approach library collaboration as a strategic decision – one that accounts for the benefits, costs, and trade-offs of choosing the collaboration option. Another important theme is that collaboration is an economic activity, and as such, can be better understood and managed when considered through the lens of economic concepts that touch on issues of coordination, costs, change, and control.

Library collaboration as a strategic choice

We explored library collaboration as a strategic decision and an economic activity in our 2022 report Library Collaboration as a Strategic Choice: Evaluating Options to Acquire Capacity. Our latest report, Building Research Data Management Capacity, applies these concepts and ideas to real world examples of collaboration in RDM, in the form of an economic framework that illuminates key aspects of the decision whether to choose collaboration, and if it is chosen, how to pursue it effectively.

[Nota bene: I had the pleasure of working with OCLC colleagues to develop a short video introducing Library Collaboration as a Strategic Choice. I think it’s very nicely done, not because I’m in it, but because, through my colleagues’ skills, they were able to create a visual package that offers a quick recap of why we did the report, what it contains, and how its findings can be used. By no means does the video substitute for reading the report, but I hope that if you haven’t read it yet, the video may inspire you to take a look.]

An interesting finding from our new report is that looking at library collaboration through an economic lens often yields important insights on what at first glance may seem like non-economic aspects of successful partnerships. For example, one of our recommendations underscores the need to cultivate commitment on the part of prospective partners – a finding that emerged from how the collaborations detailed in our case studies overcame the collective action problem (an economic concept relating to coordination of group activities). Another recommendation encourages libraries to plan for success – a strategy that promotes clear and manageable objectives, and ultimately, helps reduce the costs of collaborating. Viewing the case study narratives through an economic lens helps uncover these insights.

The art and science of collaboration

OCLC Research’s recent work on library collaboration highlights the importance of the art and science of collaboration as complementary facets of building effective partnerships. Dipping into the deep pool of theoretical insight economists have accumulated through decades of work studying collective action and adjacent topics broadens our understanding of how collaborations work, and what can be done to maximize their chances of achieving both success and sustainability. But collaboration is practiced by real people, operating in messy and uncertain real-world environments. As such, achieving successful collaboration is as much art as science, involving the delicate management of interpersonal relationships, balancing the interests of a wide range of stakeholders, and adapting to the unique and fluid circumstances surrounding the collaboration. We therefore have much to learn both from the accumulated insight of scholarly research on the topic of collective effort, as well as the powerful stories of those who have navigated the practical challenges of organizing collaborations and making them work.

Collaboration as an OCLC Research topic of inquiry

Building Research Data Management Capacity is the latest in a growing body of work by OCLC Research on library collaboration. Collaboration is an important strategy for libraries as they seek efficient scale, lower costs, and the capacity to address emerging needs. This underscores the necessity for a deep understanding of the pathways to successful, sustainable collaboration. Our work in this area explores collaboration from multiple perspectives, including collaboration between the library and other campus units, as well as collaboration across institutional boundaries. We have examined the role of data-driven analysis in uncovering collaborative opportunities. RDM has been an important domain of focus for much of our work, but we have also explored collaboration opportunities in other areas, such as the art library community and collection management. Though drawn from differing contexts, our findings from these studies generalize quite well to inform and illuminate collaboration across a wide range of library interests.

Speaking of collaboration, I would like to mention that our new report features as co-author Amanda Rinehart, Life Sciences Librarian at The Ohio State University Libraries. Amanda’s perspective as a practitioner working in the RDM space was invaluable, helping us transition from the theoretical, conceptual focus of the first report to the emphasis on practical experiences in the second. Amanda was able to assess the economic framework from the first report with a practitioner’s eye, and adapt it to the real-world contexts of our case studies. She wrote about her experience collaborating with OCLC Research in a post earlier this year. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Amanda on Building Research Data Management Capacity: Case Studies in Strategic Library Collaboration, and thank her for joining us in bringing this report to libraries.

Thanks to Rebecca Bryant for helpful suggestions for improving this post!